The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) was notified Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that Michigan has a confirmed case of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). This marks the first confirmed case of AFM in Michigan in 2018. The confirmed case is a child from Wayne County.

Seven suspect cases of AFM in Michigan remain under investigation.

As of Nov. 30, the CDC had confirmed 134 cases of AFM in 33 states, mostly in children. Despite increases in cases across the country since 2014, the CDC estimates that less than one to two in a million children in the United States will get AFM annually.

AFM is a rare but serious condition affecting the nervous system and can cause the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak. Most patients report having a mild respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before developing AFM.

Healthcare providers are asked to report all patients they suspect of having AFM to their local health department.

For more information, visit the MDHHS Communicable Disease Information and Resources website or CDC.gov/AFM.